9 TV Christmas Episodes – Maybe the Best or Worst?

Notice I didn’t say “best” or “worst.”  This list contains 12 Christmas episodes of various TV programs that many people enjoyed.  Were they the best?  Probably not.  There are probably episodes of *MASH* that could blow the doors of these, but that’s another list for another Christmas.  I’ll keep the commentary to a minimum.  Just enjoy the clips (in no particular order), and have the happiest of holidays!

1. “The Christmas Invasion” – Dr. Who, 2005

This was a banner episode for Dr. Who.  Technically a Christmas special, it marked the first full episode with David Tennant as the 10th Doctor, and was the first Christmas special in the history of the show.

2. “Guess Who’s Coming to Christmas” – Happy Days, 1974

While everybody anxiously anticipates great times with family at Christmastime, Richie discovers that Fonzie has nobody to spend the holidays with. Of course, he’s invited to spend the holidays with the Cunninghams, and to top if off, he’s asked to say the blessing, showing that he’s a real member of their family. Aw. The whole episode is posted above.

3. “The Night of the Meek” – The Twilight Zone, 1960

A drunk department store Santa gets to be the REAL Santa forever. A surprisingly touching episode of The Twilight Zone, Rod Sterling’s closing narration invites everyone to appreciate the magic of Christmas.

4. “Santa Claus” – Mystery Science Theater 3000, 1993

A demon is out to kill Santa Claus. Hilarity ensues.

5. “A Vision of Sugar Plums” – Bewitched, 1964

Samantha takes an orphan to The North Pole to make him believe in Santa Claus. Better than the episode with blackface, for sure.

6. “Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo” – South Park, 1997

I don’t know why, but it is so funny to me that this clip isn’t in English. Plus, I don’t have to worry about foul language? Oh come on, it’s not like you haven’t seen it anyway.

7. “The Christmas Tree Lot” – Ozzie & Harriet, 1957

Rick and David start up their own Christmas tree lot to earn enough money to buy a present for their dad, but they learn that running a business is harder than they thought. Good, wholesome fun.

8. “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” – The Simpsons, 1989

This was the first full-length episode of The Simpsons. Can you believe it aired in 1989? Gosh we’re old.

9. “Amends” – Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1998

Angel, after his return from a hell dimension, is haunted by The First Evil, who takes the form of people Angel killed when he didn’t have a soul. He goes to meet the sun, and Buffy pleads with him to stay alive. Yes, I am a geek.

Admittedly, there are more I wanted to ad, but the episodes were not available for embedding, and what’s the fun in just having me tell you about them? Included in the epsisodes with no available videos:

“The Man With The Bag” – Ally McBeal, 2000 – Nelle’s father thinks he’s Santa Claus
“Forgiveness and Stuff” – Gilmore Girls, 2000 – Lorelei gets uninvited to her parents’ Christmas party, where her dad has a heart attack.
“Ludachristmas” – 30 Rock, 2007 – Liz’s family comes to visit for the holidays. Matching sweaters.
“Christmas Party” – The Office (USA), 2005 – the gift exchange gets complicated, everybody gets drunk.

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Posted by Lawrence Reaves on December 23, 2011. Filed under Television, The List. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry